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Joe Danger 2: The Movie from UK dev Hello Games is leaping to your Xbox 360 in the not-too-distant future. "We're pretty much complete," Hello Games head Sean Murray told us at Gamescom during a demo of the upcoming 2D Xbox Live Arcade racer. "We're showing the full game here, and hopefully people like it. Hopefully that means we're nearly finished," he said with a smile.

Thankfully for fans excited for the new game, reception at Gamescom was very positive. "It's been good, so the game is actually probably gonna come out in the next month or so. Something like that," Murray said.

There's only one thing standing between Joe Danger 2: The Movie and launch - certification. "That's where we're heading into now. We're doing the final, 'We shouldn't be changing anything, but we are.' Don't tell our QA!" And what about PlayStation 3 or PC versions? "At the moment, we're just showing and talking about 360. We kind of haven't made any other announcements or anything like that," Murray said. But? "But obviously the original came out on PS3 and 360, so ...," he trailed off. Take that as you will!

You'll also be glad to hear that the game is a load of fun - expect a full writeup from Gamescom 2012 later today.

Of Orcs and Men co-developer Spiders is sending your ass to the red planet. In the vague future of 2013, the developer will release Mars: War Logs - a cyberpunk action-RPG for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC.

Despite our wild imagination, the Silk Engine powered-Mars: War Logs isn't a futuristic reboot of that one Ren & Stimpy commercial parody, nor is it a Twin Peaks character simulator in space. "Mars: War Logs offers a wide variety of quests, dynamic tactical combat, and extensive character specialization through different skill trees and a complete craft system," a press release from publisher Focus Home Interactive revealed.

Mars: War Logs takes players to the red planet "over a century after the catastrophe that threw the planet and its colonists into chaos." In the game, companies are warring over the limited supply of water found on the arid planet's landscape.

As protagonist Roy Temperance, players can customize their combat style by selecting from "dozens of skills and perks," fighting in real-time against the creatures on Mars. Our suspicion is that the final boss will take the highly-evolved form of NASA's Curiosity rover.

More details on the game, including an outline of features, can be found in the press release after the break.

Celebrate the release of this unique Summer of Arcade shooter.

Hybrid, the third-person shooter brought to us by 5th Cell - a studio best known for the wildly different series, Scribblenauts - is now available on Xbox Live Arcade. At least, the game itself is available. As of this writing, the servers are experiencing some rather serious issues, namely that they are generally unavailable.

We've managed to connect to and finish a single game, but that's it. 5th Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka has responded to the issue on the Hybrid forums, stating that Microsoft is "looking into the issue." It should be noted that you can't even get to the main menu without a server connection, so you might want to wait until the servers are up and running before plunking down $15.

Minecraft's Xbox 360 iteration just got a mess of fixes in its latest update ("Title Update 4"), including pistons at the world's edge causing crashes and thunder "not being audible." Why, that's no thunder at all, then!

Remedies are also given for the newly released skin packs and and several other minor glitches/bugs. And no, there are no content additions this time around, mostly just fixes for the last big update. But that Adventure Update is totally still coming!

#review This review of Wreckateer is a little late because last week, I was also under siege from large stones, some of them burning. They were just in my kidneys. While Wreckateer may be more enjoyable than a trip to the urologist, it still involves its own degree of waiting and uncertainty, and likewise requires you to follow a strictly prescribed treatment. More »

The long-awaited Awesomenauts update is now live on Xbox Live Arcade. Along with some changes and balance tweaks, the update brings with it two new characters: Coco, the hoverboard-riding harasser and Derpl, the tank-riding defender.

The update is free and should be automatically applied the next time players boot up Awesomenauts.

Developer Polytron issued a statement two days ago, saying that a save issue affecting a small number of Fez players would no longer be resolved with an additional patch. Microsoft, who Polytron laid the brunt of fault on for demanding an expensive fee to certify and issue the new patch, has now shared its side with Giant Bomb.

"Polytron and their investor, Trapdoor, made the decision not to work on an additional title update for Fez," the statement starts. "Microsoft Studios chose to support this decision based on the belief that Polytron/Trapdoor were in the best position to determine what the acceptable quality level is for their game. While we do not disclose the cost of Title Updates, we did offer to work with Trapdoor to make sure that wasn't a blocking issue. We remain huge fans of Fez."

That last part is perhaps the most interesting, since Polytron claimed Microsoft's price for a new title update was $10,000 - this statement makes it sound like Microsoft may have been willing to negotiate on the price.

In the meantime, you can keep playing an improved post-patch Fez, in the hopes that your save makes it through the whole adventure. Polytron says less than one percent of players have succumbed to the bug.

After seeing major issues with a patch released for Fez on XBLA, Polytron and Microsoft decided to pull the patch from servers, returning the game to an earlier version. But now Polytron has posted that the patch is coming back, and it will not, repeat not, be fixing the issue where players may lose their save.

Why's that? It's a numbers game, says Polytron. The patch fixes multiple issues with the game (including framerating and loading problems, death loops, and more), and the save corruption issue affects less than one percent of players overall. Because sending out another patch to fix the first patch would cost Polytron "tens of thousands of dollars" to get the game re-certified by Microsoft, the patch is coming back, and any players thus affected by the save issue will just have to deal with it.

Polytron points to this as a major drawback with Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade service, in that the company charges exorbitant fees to developers to release even free updates and content. "Had Fez been released on Steam instead of XBLA," posts Polytron, "the game would have been fixed two weeks after release, at no cost to us." Does that mean a Steam version is in progress? "Only a few months left to our XBLA exclusivity!" says the company on Twitter.

Minecraft for Xbox Live Arcade has now surpassed 3 million units sold. The announcement comes via Twitter from Mojang's lord of the blocks, Markus "Notch" Persson, who wrote this morning: "I got told Minecraft for XBLA passed three million sales today!"

The $20 downloadable title launched on May 7 and sold a million units in five days. It then reached two million sales in early June. Minecraft for XBLA has also enjoyed significant support through updates, the latest (v 1.73) having gone live last week.

Minecraft for Xbox Live Arcade has now surpassed 3 million sales. The announcement comes via Twitter from Mojang's lord of the blocks, Markus "Notch" Persson, who tweeted this morning: "I got told Minecraft for XBLA passed three million sales today!"

The $20 downloadable title launched on May 7 and sold a million units in five days, it then reached two million sales in early June. Minecraft for XBLA has also enjoyed significant support through updates, the latest (v 1.73) going live just last week.

Skulls of the Shogun isn't just an Xbox Live Arcade game, y'all. It's also a Windows 8 game, a Windows Phone 7 game, and a Surface game. So when Microsoft announced the launch date for Windows 8 yesterday, we couldn't help but wonder if that meant Skulls of the Shogun would launch alongside it. "The plan is to sim-ship on Win 8 (desktop, and both versions of Surface), Windows Phone 7 and XBLA in the same week," 17-bit's Jake Kazdal told us. So, uh, sounds like it!

He added one caveat. "We're certainly shooting for day one release with Win 8, and it looks very likely, but nothing is set in stone yet," he said. Windows 8 launches on October 26, meaning you'll likely have your hands on those shogun skulls ahead of Halloween. And considering the dev studio's former name is Haunted Temple, that seems rather fitting, no?

Minecraft's Xbox 360 version continues to march forward, with the latest update (1.73) bringing "pistons and sticky pistons," "stackable fences," and a whole mess of other items, functions, and skins to your handcrafted block world. There are even 40 new character skins, some of which can be seen above. The update doesn't include NPCs, villages, or the much desired Adventure Mode, but 4J Studios promises those will come in time.

The patch, which corrects some errors too, goes live tomorrow at 2AM UTC. The full list of changes is right after the break.

The Awesomenauts update that Ronimo has been teasing for two months is "almost ready," according to a post from the developer on PlayStation Blog. The update will make some tweaks to the game's balance and items, and add two new characters. The new combatants, first discovered in May, are Coco Nebulon (complete with hover-board) and Derpl Zork, a slug who utilizes a walking tank.

Coco uses electricity attacks that are good at harassing enemies and punishing those who chase her. Derpl, meanwhile, seems to be an area-control specialist and is able to turn his tank into a stationary turret.

There's no specific launch date for the update just yet, though Ronimo promises it will be "very, very soon." The update, characters included, will be free on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Been trying to pick up the Xbox version Portal 2 but haven't managed to open a portal from the couch to your local retailer? Xbox Live has the answer, as Portal 2 is now available on Games on Demand, according to Major Nelson.

Apart from GLaDOS and Wheatley's intrusion of Xbox Live, there are some pretty substantial sales going on. This week, a load of Bethesda DLC is 50 percent off, including the "Shivering Isles" and "Knights of the Nine" expansions for Oblivion and every piece of Fallout 3 DLC. Several Xbox Live Arcade games are 50 percent off as well this week, including Section 8: Prejudice, The Splatters, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Hydrophobia and the excellent Toy Soldiers: Cold War.

Remember the slickly produced teaser trailer for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing? It turns out that said trailer was pretty far removed from the actual gameplay. Based on newly released footage, it appears that Van Helsing's PC and XBLA adventure will be of the dungeon-crawling variety.

Everyone's favorite surreal flying game for Sega Saturn, "NiGHTS into dreams...." is getting an HD rebirth "this fall" from Sega. Planned for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC, NiGHTS is an HD update of the original Sega Saturn release from 1996. Not that you weren't expecting one, of course.

Beyond the beautified graphics, Sega's adding a 16:9 aspect ratio, leaderboards, Achievements/Trophies, and "an optional Saturn Mode" (which reverts the game back to 1996 graphics). No release date is given just yet beyond the amorphous "fall," but there is the snazzy new trailer above. And these screens below. And hey, if you can't wait, you could always go play the game right now on your Saturn.

"Marvel vs Capcom Origins" combines the original Marvel vs Capcom with Marvel Super Heroes, slaps a $15 price tag on it, and makes it all digital this September. Capcom announced the project this morning just ahead of upcoming fighting tournament EVO 2012 (which laces up this weekend), as well as releasing the appropriately cheezy trailer seen above.

Like Street Fighter 3: Third Strike before it, "MvCO" includes various updates: "graphics filters, dynamic challenges, and online play with spectator modes and replay saving," according to Capcom. Of course, for the hardest core of fans, none of this talk matters comparatively with actually playing the game. Thankfully, plenty of those folks are attending EVO, where the game will make its first playable appearance.

It's unclear who's doing the port job for this (Wreckateer dev Iron Galaxy handled Third Strike), but we've reached out to Capcom for more info.

Spelunky, an Xbox Live Arcade revamp of a free PC indie game, straddles the line between insurmountable addiction and a precise extractor of self-hatred. Like other rare indie gems, such as Metanet's N series, Spelunky is equal parts diabolical and ingenious.

The concept is simple: explore worlds filled with treacherous obstacles while collecting treasures and attempting to survive. You start the game with a standard whip along with a few climbing ropes and bombs, which are used to carve out a path to the level's exit. Each randomly generated level is filled with traps, enemies, and environmental disasters awaiting your unnamed adventurer. Survival may be the primary goal, but Spelunky's secondary objective is to make players regret the follies of poor split-second decisions.

It's the kind of experience you hate yourself for loving, but love it you shall.

#review Sometimes a video game is like a razor blade. Only millimeters thick, yet sharpened to a fine edge sharp enough to draw blood if you're not paying attention. Once you learn that truth, such a game requires your total attention lest you wind up bleeding a lot. Spelunky comes to the Xbox 360, sharp enough to etch itself into your memory, time and time again. And even though you'll wind up raw from its rough scrapings of your mind and reflexes, you won't be able to stop playing. More »

#spelunky You're going to die a lot in Spelunky. The indie platformer hits Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow, bringing with it a roguelike structure that switches everything up each time you play through it. That means you're going to find different traps, monsters and drops in each cave you venture through. A full review will run this week but here's a quick look at how you'll die over and over in Spelunky. More »

Maybe you haven't played Trials Evolution in a while and you don't realize how much totally bananas user-generated content is available to be played, totally free? RedLynx and Ubisoft put together the trailer above to remind you of just that.

Those without the requisite hardware to run Quantum Conundrum on the PC will have to wait until July. Quantum Conundrum will come to PSN on July 10 for $14.99, and XBLA on July 11 for 1200 MS Points ($15).

If you prefer to pick up Quantum Conundrum through Steam, it's now available on the PC for $14.99. Putting down $19.99 for a Steam pass will also earn you the soundtrack and two future DLC puzzle packs.

Sonic's apparently too fast for whoever moderates Xbox.com content. A listing for Sonic Adventure 2 has appeared on the official Xbox site, complete with a handful of screenshots (one with some PlayStation buttons!) and a description. The listing was pulled from the US Xbox.com, though the UK version has yet to be taken down. No downloads are available but, given that the port doesn't even officially exist yet, that's not surprising.

The listing claims the game features all of Sonic Adventure 2's original content, Chao Gardens and all, now in high definition. Given Sega has already re-released the original Sonic Adventure, it only makes sense that the sequel would be as well. We've contacted Sega to learn more.

[Thanks, Phoenixumn.]

XBLA's Summer of Arcade 2012 begins on July 19 with the HD-ified rebirth of Tony Hawk Pro Skater for 1200 MS Points ($15). The following week, Iron Galaxy's Angry Birds meets Boom Blox Kinect flinger Wreckateer arrives for 800 MS Points ($10), with Deadlight, Hybrid, and Dust: An Elysian Tail launching in the subsequent weeks, all for 1200 MS Points ($15) a pop.

Microsoft is offering an incentive (as always) to spur multiple Summer of Arcade purchases, giving those who snag "any three of the above titles" a free 400 MS Points ($5). From the look of things, that won't be too hard a sell.

Additionally, Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD is heading to PlayStation Network "a few weeks" after it launches on Xbox Live Arcade, but the rest of the Summer of Arcade games are exclusive to 360 (at least for now).

XBLA's Summer of Arcade 2012 begins on July 19 with the HD-ified rebirth of Tony Hawk Pro Skater for 1200 MS Points ($15). The following week, Iron Galaxy's Angry Birds meets Boom Blox Kinect flinger Wreckateer arrives for 800 MS Points ($10), with Deadlight, Hybrid, and Dust: An Elysian Tail launching in the subsequent weeks, all for 1200 MS Points ($15) a pop.

Microsoft is offering an incentive (as always) to spur multiple Summer of Arcade purchases, giving those who snag "any three of the above titles" a free 400 MS Points ($5). From the look of things, that won't be a hard sell. Head past the break for the full details.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD is heading to PlayStation Network "a few weeks" after it launches on Xbox Live Arcade, but the rest of the games are exclusive to 360 (at least for now).

Monolith Productions has one of the most varied histories in video game development. The studio first cut its teeth on first-person shooters, finding a cult hit in the popular No One Lives Forever series. Then, it was a vast experiment with The Matrix Online, before coming back to shooters with the Fear and Condemned series of games. And now, the company's trying to reinvent itself yet again with two licensed downloadable titles for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment: first Gotham City Imposters from earlier this year, and now Guardians of Middle-earth.

Guardians of Middle-earth is a weird one. It's a licensed Lord of The Rings title, starring characters from Tolkien's series. It's a MOBA game, similar to League of Legends or DOTA 2, featuring Tolkien's characters fighting it out across a battlefield full of AI-controlled troops. And it's a complicated, deep online multiplayer title, designed for competitive play.

"What's so weird about that?" you ask? It's being developed only for consoles.

#deadlight Part of the appeal when Deadlight was originally shown off was how lonely and bleak it looked. Then some trailers came along full of narration and dialogue and it all got a bit too noisy. More »

Time to break out your good staff of summoning because Wizards of the Coast will launch the next installment in its Duels of the Planeswalkers series later this month. Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will launch worldwide on June 20 for Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, Steam on PC - and, for the first time, iPad.

As for pricing, it's not necessarily a given that Duels 2013 will be a $10 title - Wizards reps would not confirm pricing.

Microsoft reveals Xbox Music, a new music service for the system.